Northern Europe recovers after storm brings hurricane-force winds

By Laura Smith-Spark and Jethro Mullen, CNN

updated 6:47 AM EDT, Tue October 29, 2013

Emergency crews in London clear the wreckage of a house after a fallen tree caused a gas explosion there Monday, October 28. A major Atlantic storm brought wind gusts close to 100 mph Monday, knocking out power to thousands and disrupting travel in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Strong winds from the storm hit Scheveningen, Netherlands, on Monday.

A contractor works on clearing the debris after a tree fell on car in London on Monday.

Large waves break against the harbor wall in Dover, England, on Monday.

A car in London is crushed by a fallen tree on Monday. There have been several reports of people being killed by fallen trees.

A plane lands with a tilted angle Monday on the runway of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Electric company workers cut tree branches and repair power lines Monday in La Roche-Maurice, France. Officials said early Monday that 42,000 homes in northern France were without electricity.

Large waves break along the coast in Porthleven, England, on Monday.

People walk along the Troon South beach in Troon, Scotland, on Monday.

A fallen tree lies on a London road Monday.

Weather forecasters had said before the storm arrived that it could be the region's worst in a decade.

A vehicle splashes through a flooded section of road near the English village of Whitford on Monday.

Large waves break against the dyke Monday at the port of Boulogne, France.

A boat in Scheveningen, Netherlands, is caught in the strong winds Monday.

Father and son play on the beach in Brighton, England, on Sunday.

People stand on the rocks as large waves break against the harbor in Porthcawl, Wales, on Sunday.

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Power is restored to many UK homes, but 61,000 remain without electricity

At least 13 deaths are reported across Northern Europe

Gusts close to 100 mph battered the southern coast of England

The storm also rammed Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark

London (CNN) -- The cleanup operation continued Tuesday, a day after a major Atlantic storm pummeled England, France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, killing at least 13 people.

Hurricane-force winds early Monday caused major disruption to travel and power supplies.

In Britain, 61,000 homes remained without electricity Tuesday, after power was restored to 100,000 properties overnight, said Tim Field, a spokesman for the Energy Networks Association, which represents British and Irish power operators.

4 killed, thousands lose power in storm

CNN reporter in 80mph UK storm

Major storm hits the UK

Overall, 605,000 properties have been reconnected, he told CNN. Energy companies said they were working to restore power as quickly as possible.

Rail services were largely running again across southern England on Tuesday, a day after fallen trees caused chaos as they blocked rail lines and roads. London's Heathrow Airport, where the number of flights was reduced Monday because of the severe weather, said operations were returning to normal Tuesday.

At least two storm-related deaths were confirmed Monday in England, and a third person was missing after being swept out to sea.

Police in Kent said a 17-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on the home where she was sleeping in Hever, south of London. A man in his 50s was killed when a tree fell on a vehicle in Watford, northwest of London, according to Hertfordshire police.

Authorities suspect two other UK deaths may be related to the storm. A man and a woman died -- and a third person was hospitalized -- as a result of a gas explosion in Hounslow in west London, London's Metropolitan Police said. Investigators were checking whether a fallen tree damaged gas pipes and caused the blast.

Deaths were also reported elsewhere in Europe.

Seven people were killed in Germany, German media reported, some by fallen trees. A woman in the city of Heiligenhafen was killed when a wall supporting a terrace fell on her.

A tourist was killed by a falling tree in Amsterdam, police said.

In France, the body of a woman was found on a beach near Belle-Ile. Witnesses said she was swept away by a wave.

Officials said 42,000 homes in northern France were without electricity. Overnight, the number of homes in France without power peaked at 75,000.

High winds also tore across Denmark, where at least two people were killed, according to the Copenhagen Post.

Search suspended

As the storm approached, UK rescuers had to suspend their search for a missing teenager believed to have been swept out to sea. The unidentified teenager disappeared from Newhaven, East Sussex, on the southern coast, according to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The strongest wind gusts in England -- 99 mph -- were recorded on the Isle of Wight, which is off the southern coast, the Met Office said.

Network Rail, which manages Britain's rail infrastructure, said Monday that more than 100 trees were on rails in the network across the southeast.

Weather forecasters had said before the storm arrived that it could be the region's worst in a decade.

But conditions were not as severe as those during the Great Storm of 1987, which was responsible for the deaths of 18 people in Britain and four in France.

In 1990, the Burns Day Storm left a trail of destruction from the Isles of Scilly to Denmark, killing 100 people, including 47 in the British Isles, according to the Met Office.